The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear VR Glasses

How Pokémon should make us feel upbeat about our industry…and life in general

For those of us in the IT and Data Center business we hear about it ‘ad nauseam’ in the industry press. Every event presentation has to start with slides showing it. There’s so much of it, you start to tune it out. You become numb to the numbers and predictions. You know what I’m talking about…digitization, IoT, Big Data, the Cloud…all coming together to drive a huge increase in the demand for compute, storage, and networking resources. But, this is truly a wonderful thing…and not just for the vendors and service providers, but also for the billions of people whose lives are greatly empowered and enriched by IT. I think it’s worth noting. And we ought not to take it for granted.

Let’s face it, there have been some seriously negative headwinds in our world lately…stagnant global economic growth, terrorism, climate change, the nearing end of Moore’s Law, and now, at least in my country, a “War on Police” and a Presidential Election with…um, well…let’s say, unique choices. In this context, it is easy to lose perspective and forget the larger tack of society. We shouldn’t forget the power of free markets and technological change born out of human ingenuity and science.

In recent weeks while walking my dog, Oscar, I’ve noticed the streets of my home town busier than normal. There’ve been lots of people walking around alone and aimlessly and others in packs holding their phones out in front of themselves smiling and flittering around. I’ve found myself smiling too and saying ‘hi’ and sharing small talk with strangers a lot more than I would have before Pokémon GO. Who would’ve thought a video game would be responsible for getting so many people out of the house and out in the world moving around? I think it’s wonderful…and it’s only a beginning of even better things to come.

I think the old fears of technology harming the environment, starting wars, isolating us from real social contact, and minimizing physical exercise are exaggerated. On the contrary, technology and science (combined with freedom) has done more to improve the human condition than anything else. People around the world are, on the whole, richer and healthier than ever before. And I believe that the solution for most of today’s big societal problems and challenges – namely energy, food production, and climate change – will be technology….specifically, information technology. In the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century, the principle form of technology was machinery…the steamships, trains, telephones, and manufacturing machinery that enabled never-before-seen repeatable, efficient, and large-scale transportation and production. In the 21st Century, the fundamental form of technology that drives all other technologies is information. And this is why I feel so upbeat about the IT and data center industries. IT and its supporting infrastructure is fast becoming (if it hasn’t already) the very foundation or fabric of our society. Thinking in this way, I am proud to work for Schneider Electric, a company dedicated to making the world’s use and access to energy safer, more reliable, and efficient. All of us in these industries should feel good about what we’re doing. The future is bright for ALL of us!